Bills to Raise Indecency Fines Introduced

Lawmakers have reintroduced two bills to raise fines for broadcast indecency violations. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the Telecom Subcommittee, would raise the amount to $500,000 for each instance. In the Senate, Sam Brownback, R-Kan. and Joe Lieberman, D- Conn., favor a fine of $325,000 for each violation a

Lawmakers have reintroduced two bills to raise fines for broadcast indecency violations. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the Telecom Subcommittee, would raise the amount to $500,000 for each instance.

In the Senate, Sam Brownback, R-Kan. and Joe Lieberman, D- Conn., favor a fine of $325,000 for each violation and a $3 million cap for any single act.

The current maximum is $32,500 per offense, to which the FCC had raised the limit last year. Several bills were introduced in the last Congress to raise indecency penalties, but none passed, as the economy, the war in Iraq and the elections occupied lawmakers' attention.

By a 389-38 vote, the U.S. House passed a bill that raises the amount the FCC can fine a broadcaster for indecency violations to $500,000 per incident. The current maximum is $32,500. Other provisions in the measure, sponsored by Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) include revoking a license after three

Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., have introduced a bill aimed at curbing broadcast indecency. The "Indecent and Gratuitous and Excessive Violence Broadcasting Control Act of 2005" would require the FCC to fine broadcasters $500,000 per indecent utterance, with a $3 million per day ca

Despite pleadings from several members of Congress that the proposed broadcast indecency bill being considered would violate free speech rights, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved an election-year broadcast indecency bill that could impose fines of up to $500,000 for broadcasters that air "indecent" m

Members of the House Commerce Committee made two big changes to the election year indecency bill passed to the full House; they raised the fines by 20, not 10 times the current amount and they included a provision to fine on-air talent. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., passed 49 to 1. House Commerce C

While legislation to raise broadcast indecency fines languished on Capitol Hill, the FCC slapped Fox with a doozey. The commission levied a combined fine of nearly $1.2 million against Fox network affiliates for airing an episode of a now-defunct reality program, "Married by America." The program, aired in April, 20